not in 2006...but maybe in 2007, or at least 2010 the point will come when people wil lsee that graphics is as good as it can get and start working on other things...content, new gameplay mechanics, ai...or is it too much to hope

Innovation = Risk. That's the problem. Today making games costs so much that no one wants to take the chance that game won't sell. I would like to see that the concept that works now would be taken two steps further. A good example is Metal Gear Solid. In 1998 MGS was introduced on PlayStation and at the time it was groundbreaking and revolutionary. However the roots of the game are in 1987 (http://www.mobygames.com/game/metal-gear/release-info). The game that were seen on PlayStation was actually using pretty much the same elements and mechanics that the original Metal Gear (without "Solid"). The only difference was that the game was three dimensional. So what happened next - KABOOOM!!! The game was an instant classic and brought the concept of Tactical Espionage Action to the knowledge of world wide audience. It was something that've never seen before on gaming consoles.

So, what I'm trying to say is that good and innovative games exist. They just need to be discovered or re-discovered and re-invented on modern day technology.

Edit: Still one example - probably the reason of Metal Gear Solid on PS another sneaking game was released in November 2002 for Xbox - Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. That game took the genre a bit further adding a rotating camera (instead of fixed camera angles in MGS) and making it more realistic (and removing most of the fantasy/sci-fi elements that were seen in MGS).

MGS was released on PS. I heard it's an actual re-visioning of the first Metal Gear game on NES, but that's not the point of this post. MGS was ported on the PC, albeit a supremely ugly port. After a couple of years, MGS was ported (yet again) on the GC as MGS: Twin Snakes. While there was minor addition in terms of content, it took them how many years to even think of adding something new to the first game... brushing off the sting of just making remake after remake. And by the way, mentioning Splinter Cell in the same post may not do justice to Sam. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell is a way better game than Metal Gear Solid can ever hope to be. That's right Hideo Kojima, you can stick your stinking title where it hurts.

Another prime reason for my hate in Konami is Castlevania. Just see the atrocities they have pulled through out the years. After the successful Symphony of the Night, you have seen not 1, not 2, not 3... but 4 games using the exact same engine with minimum changes. Harmony of Dissonance displays an even bigger problem deep in Konami's factory. Same map as Symphony... same baddies... different sprites. Oh yeah, Castlevania 64? What was the game after that... hmm... Castlevania Legacy of Darkness! A game that is almost an exact copy of Castlevania 64!!

It troubles me to see Konami stoop to the lowest of lows when back in the 80s, the Konami seal was enough to assure me and my brothers of a top notch product.

Here's another example, Capcom's Resident Evil. There's so many ports you'll lose count of it. Each of their iteration of RE has been ported somewhere else. And their latest release, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence for Nintendo DS is actually a port of Resident Evil 1! Resident Evil 4 was a bold move against the trend of RE, and I salute Capcom's achievement for that. It's the only game that's totally different from the rest. But other than that, the whole RE line is a bunch of blatant rehashes, and ports.

And if you have been reading the news, some studios have reported red inked numbers, some have closed down, and only the companies with the deepest pockets survive this ordeal.

The industry is shrinking. And mightily it will. David, graphics may not reach a level where developers stop focusing on that. With HD being pushed by the graphics whore, as well as the focus of Xbox 360 and PS 3, you're going to see some more development studios stoop to be drones and continue churning out FIFAs, NBAs, and other atrociously similar titles 'sequels'.

RE-series has been featured on PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube and PC. The port of RE2 and RE3 on GameCube - what were they thinking? :) RE4 is really good though... compared to the other RE-games!

I've also preordered the new Tomb Raider and The Sims 2 Open for Business.

Let us know then! The Tomb Raider series has been a let down since because no major changes has been done for the outdated concept. I would really like to see the new TR. It will be available here on April.

Krysie, When you had played Dreamfall, would you be so kind to tell me if there is action/how much action in the game? I'd love to buy it but I have to know what kind of game it is. When it will be released?